Play "Fur Elise"
"Für Elise" is the popular name of "Bagatelle in A minor", one of the most famous solo piano pieces, by Ludwig van Beethoven. It seems that everyone who learns how to play the piano always plays this piece. It sounds extremely impressive when played, but many musicians are tired of it because it is played much too frequently, learned by almost every piano student, and because there are simplified versions often taught as well, it is often played poorly as a result.
Contents
Steps
- Obtain the sheet music for Für Elise.
- It begins in 3/8 time, with a right-hand theme accompanied by arpeggios in the left hand; the harmonies used are A minor and E major.
- Learn that the next section maintains the same texture, but broadens the harmony to include C major, which is A minor's relative major, and G major, C major's dominant key.
- Notice that a faster section follows, written in the key of F major, then a few bars in C major. This section is one that many pianists, who easily play the opening, are forced to either skip, or spend a lot of time developing the necessary coordination to play. Next the piece moves into D minor with a theme set over a pedal point. After a modulation back to A minor and a gauntlet of arpeggios, the main theme returns.
- The piece then goes into a more dramatic sounding part, starting in A minor, then transposes to B-flat major, then briefly in B major. After some arpeggios and a chromatic scale down, the song goes back to the main theme yet again, and the piece quietly ends in its starting key of A minor, with an authentic cadence.
- Start out by playing through the piece with just your right hand then once you have that down, play through the piece with your left hand.
- Practice playing it with both hands. It probably won't sound very good the first time you play it, but keep practicing and you'll get it. Practice it slowly; never rush when learning.
- Add in dynamics, musicianship, and your passion (which should be evident) to the mix.
Tips
- The C Major sections involve playing an E, then crossing over with the second finger to the E an octave above. Due to the difficulty of playing said arpeggio smoothly, you can substitute by using both hands to play the E's.
- The tempo of the piece is Poco Moto, which means with a little motion. This means you need to play it fairly fast, and you need to keep the piece moving.
- It has never been known who Elise was, whom the piece was dedicated to. One theory is that Elise was a name generally used to describe a sweetheart, and this was written to and for all sweethearts. It might have been the love for a woman that inspired him to write this piece without them ever meeting, but it is left entirely to speculation.
- Don't be intimidated by the sixteenth notes or the sixteenth note triplets. They seem fast at first glance, but because of the time signature, they are more like eighth notes (to a quarter note).
Warnings
- This piece requires the use of a normal, eighty-eight key piano. A smaller electric keyboard may not have enough keys to play it. If your piano lacks the appropriate keys, you could improvise and arrange some of the notes in the lower-pitched parts around.
- Für Elise is a very infamous song, so the song is rather mainstream. Some people may be slightly tired of hearing it. However, if you do know it you may find people who ask for you to play it.
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